What year fiero is the best?
- Thread starter rynofan73
- Start date
Pontiac redesigned the suspension and brakes for only the 1988 model year.
So it is the best year for handling. A word of caution, Since 1988 was the only model year for the upgrades and that they only made a little over 26,000 Fiero's, Some parts are hard to locate and more expensive.
The 1984-1987 years all had the same suspension and brakes.
There are improvement parts for all years like:
Poly bushings, lowering springs, performance shocks/struts, larger sway bars, etc. Check out www.fierostore.com for more parts.
So it is the best year for handling. A word of caution, Since 1988 was the only model year for the upgrades and that they only made a little over 26,000 Fiero's, Some parts are hard to locate and more expensive.
The 1984-1987 years all had the same suspension and brakes.
There are improvement parts for all years like:
Poly bushings, lowering springs, performance shocks/struts, larger sway bars, etc. Check out www.fierostore.com for more parts.
1988 by far. The suspension is much better and the upgraded brakes make a world of difference. The brakes on the 84-87 barely stop the car if you make modifications to the vehicle as far as handling and performance you are going to have a hard time bringing it to a stop. I had to upgrade the brakes on my 87 with a kit from westcoast fiero after I did an engine swap.
Jake4Life
New member
Yes alot of people would say the 88 is the best. Owning both an 88Formula and an 87, you can tell the difference. Even though my 87's Suspension is greatly upgraded and is in no way stock at all, you can still tell the difference during cornering. For instance, in an 88, if you start to feel like it's going to spin/slide, the car can actually fix itself with the suspension being different. The 87, when you start to slide/spin, you're pretty much screwed, you're gonna spin. The 88 suspension is alot more stable. Many people also get lowering springs for the front though because the front of the car is higher then the rear for some reason. The 88 has alot less kinks, but parts for the 88Formula, such as suspension parts can be alot less harder to find, and way more expensive. Hope this helps.
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This is caused by "bump steer" which is a problem with the earlier suspensions. You can buy a bump steer kit from a few places that will stop the bump steer and provide the same cornering as the 1988.
http://www.westshorefabricators.com/Fiero/Fiero-bump-steer.htm
http://dwayne9.addr.com/fiero.html
Jake4Life
New member
Yes, but those are more expensive then i can afford right now ya know?
Jake4Life
New member
yes but those are more expensive then i can afford right now ya know? i can't afford $600 for that.
I did not say you need to get one.
I was mearly pointing out what the problem is and how to correct it.
It doesn't matter if you can or cannot afford it, Others may be able to afford them.
It is an option they may choose to do, which is why I posted the links.
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kanouse660
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Yes '88 !
The dumbest thing I see often on a Fiero is that the 88 suspension is defeated by people who put the same size tires in front and rear. Any mid or rear engine car should have wider tires in the back, that is what balances the car for cornering; that's the whole point ! This is why one would be higher in the front too; because a dumb person put the same size tires all the way around ! With more weight in the back you will always slide out of control like that. I drive an 88 and they really are balanced well, at least untill some retard at a tire shop sells someone the same four tires for front and rear ! If you use sizes other than what the car came with, the difference of width and hieght from front to rear must be the same ! And yes, really, the 88 is the only Fiero worth having; a nother very important reason for that is the Muncie 5 speed transmission; it is capable of handling the amount of torque and horse power that the Fiero really needs.
The dumbest thing I see often on a Fiero is that the 88 suspension is defeated by people who put the same size tires in front and rear. Any mid or rear engine car should have wider tires in the back, that is what balances the car for cornering; that's the whole point ! This is why one would be higher in the front too; because a dumb person put the same size tires all the way around ! With more weight in the back you will always slide out of control like that. I drive an 88 and they really are balanced well, at least untill some retard at a tire shop sells someone the same four tires for front and rear ! If you use sizes other than what the car came with, the difference of width and hieght from front to rear must be the same ! And yes, really, the 88 is the only Fiero worth having; a nother very important reason for that is the Muncie 5 speed transmission; it is capable of handling the amount of torque and horse power that the Fiero really needs.
All of that is incorrect.
The 88's have a staggered offset which is why the wheels are different widths. The staggered offset allows the suspension geometry to stay on plane thru the suspensions full travel. Because the offset is different, the different wheel/tire sizes are needed to keep the scrub radius correct.
The 86/87 GT's used a slightly taller tire in the rear to give the fastback body a raked look. and to keep the weight distribution in the center. I have a 1986 SE with equal tires all the way around and race it on road courses often. If I added wider tires in back it would decrease my handling not improve it.
On a mid-engine car the point is to keep the weight displacement as close to 50/50 as possible. Which is why the engine is forward of the rear axle.
Rear-engine platforms need a wider tire because the weight displacement is towards the rear due to engine placement.
The Muncie/Getrag 5-spd was available from late 1986 thru 1988.
Actually the 85/86 V-6 4-speed is a little stronger than the 86/88 5-spd per GM's torque rating. They went to the 5-spd for better MPG and emissions.
I have been pushing 355hp/405 ft/lbs of torque out of a V-8 thru my 4-speed for over 5 years now without any problems.